University Boat Race: men and women weigh in at same event ahead of Oxford and Cambridge race

The Boat Race’s embracing of sexual equality reached a landmark on Monday when
the male and female crews had their weigh-ins at the same event, and the
women’s individual weights were made public for the first time.

Weighing in: the Oxford and Cambridge crews for the women's University Boat RacePhoto: GETTY IMAGES

As Telegraph Sport disclosed last year, the women’s race will be given equal billing to the men — and take place on the same Tideway course — from 2015.

Although it will remain at Henley for two more years, the weigh-in was held jointly for the first time on Monday, and the results were announced in the same way.

Previously, organisers had been reluctant to publicise the weights of female crew members, out of concern for young women being vulnerable to potential eating disorders.

“I’m not sure that equality was quite what women wanted in the sense of being weighed in public,” said Helena Morrissey, chairman of Newton, the sponsors of the women’s race. “But it’s all muscle. And I am very excited personally about the move towards parity.”

Cambridge’s women were an inch taller and eight pounds a rower heavier on average than their rivals.

Christine Wilson, Oxford’s new women’s coach, said: “Every decision that we’ve made this year has been made with an eye to what we will do in 2015.”

The weigh-in for the men’s BNY Mellon Boat Race saw Oxford tip it at six pounds a man heavier and half an inch taller than Cambridge, a negligible advantage in racing terms.

The absentee of the day was Oxford’s returning Blue Constantine Louloudis, who was busy translating Latin in his second-year classics exams, but the rest were present and correct, including the first Czech to take part, Cambridge’s international Milan Bruncvik, and Oxford’s highly-experienced new stroke-man, Malcolm Howard, who won gold and silver for Canada in the Beijing and London Olympics respectively.

His coach, Sean Bowden, has been reluctant to dwell on the bizarre nature of last year’s race. “There are a lot of new people now,” he said. “They’re sorry for what happened – that’s life, that’s sport. But they’re more interested in this year.”

The bow-man of his 2012 crew, Alex Woods, has not made the Blue Boat this year, and will row in Isis alongside fellow Blue William Zeng.

Three of the Cambridge men’s Blues have not made the top boat and will row in the reserves, but four previous Light Blues are returning to the crew, notably the winning stern trio from last year’s race, who are bolstered by President and newly-minted Olympic medallist George Nash. That stern quartet were two seconds behind Oxford at the Fours Head.

“It’s the best squad I’ve had in the last three years,” said the Cambridge coach, Steve Trapmore. “Goldie is very strong, the guys have been nipping at our heels since the crews were formed, and that’s been extremely helpful,” added Nash.